Glossary of Photo Terms

Photography, like many other art forms, has its very own language. This basic photography glossary is designed to help familiarize you with some of the more common terms used in photography and exactly what they mean.

Angle of View
The amount of a scene that the camera's lens can see; this is determined by the focal length of the lens.

Aperture
The opening for the camera lens, formed by a metal diaphragm inside the camera. Light passes through the aperture to expose the film. The aperture size is calibrated by the camera's f-stops; the larger the f-stop, the smaller the aperture and the less light there is going into the camera.

Bracketing
A method used wherein the photographer takes a series of photos of the same object, changing the settings slightly each time, to ensure that at least one of the photos has the correct exposure.

CCD sensor
An electronic sensor inside autofocus cameras, capable of detecing subject contrast. This term is often used in conjunction with digital cameras, where the size of the CCD sensor vs. the number of megapixels can affect image quality.

Depth of field
The zone of sharpness in front of or behind the subject which is being photographed. Controlled by the aperture, the length of the lens, and the distance the photographer is standing from the subject. A long depth of field means that the entire photo, including the background, is in focus. Short depth of field means that only those objects up close/ in the foreground are focused.

Filters
Colored pieces of translucent material placed over the lens to change the resulting photograph. Filters can reduce or emphasize contrast and color in a photo.

Grain
The solid silver particles that make up the image of the photo on paper. In photos taken under dark conditions, visible film grain is an undesireable effect and the photo is called "grainy."

ISO
An international standard of measuring film speed. The higher the film speed, the greater its sensitivity to light and the grainier the final image may be.

Lens aberrations
Optical faults in camera lenses which can cause distorted or unclear photos.

Macro photography

Photos taken of objects at life-size or greater. Macro lenses and digital cameras with macro modes are available. Often confused with close-up photography, which is a more general term and usually doesn't involve the same magnification as macro photography.

Red Eye
Red blobs appearing in the eyes of portrait subjects, caused by the flash bouncing off the retinas. Can be reduced by elimination of flash, or by moving further away from the subject while shooting. Can also be removed on digital photos with various software programs.

Zoom
The act of using a camera's lens to get closer to a subject, either for close-up photo purposes or because the subject is far away. There are various types of zoom, and interchangeable zoom lenses which can be used to increase a camera's zooming power.